help needed/UK question

On Sun, 29 May 2005 07:08:30 GMT, gary caunt wrote:

i have an established pond but have decided to put a brick edging around it.

not sure if the cement used to bond the bricks will kill my fish and plant
life.

can any one please advise

It's not easy to say either yes or no. The lime in the concrete will leach into the
water if the mortar is underwater but if it's above it you shouldn't have a problem
although rainwater run off will take some in. Lime isn't exactly toxic but it will
push the ph up.

You can use a waterproofer/plasticiser in the mortar and that will help seal in the
lime. Alternatively seal it with three coats of G4/V8
(http://www.aquatics-online.co.uk/lis...206&rets= 373)
once it's dried but you can't use these once you have used a waterproofer/plasticiser
since it won't stick to the sealed mortar.

Using portland cement in the mortar will also help. It gets harder in the wet and
most mixes I've come across use it.

Personally I use the waterproofer/plasticiser method and haven't had a problem.

--
Regards - Rodney Pont
The from address exists but is mostly dumped,
please send any emails to the address below
e-mail ngpsm4 (at) infohitsystems (dot) ltd (dot) uk